Abstract
Changing oceanic environmental factors disrupt the symbiotic relationship between cnidarians and a photosynthetic dinoflagellate symbiont, leading to expulsion of the symbiont from the cnidarian and endangering fragile coral ecosystems. The symbiosis between the anemone Aiptasia pallida and Symbiodinium is a model system for studying the molecular changes that occur during the establishment, maintenance and disruption of symbiosis. The symbiont resides in a specialized membrane component called the symbiosome membrane indicating dramatic changes to the lipidome of the anemone and symbiont. We have undertaken a comprehensive characterization of the lipid composition of the anemone, and symbiont at all stages of the symbiotic relationship. Lipids from the aposymbiotic symbiont, aposymbiotic anemone, and symbiotic anemone and symbiont were extracted and analyzed using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Preliminary results based on exact mass and collision‐induced decomposition mass spectrometry reveal the presence of glycerophospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylcholine and interestingly, several molecular ions do not correspond to any known lipid molecular species. Lipidomic changes will be correlated to transcriptomic changes known to occur at the various stages of symbiosis.
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